


Pep Talks

by Flynne



Series: Garviel Shepard [8]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Gen, idiot cinnamon roll bros
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-09 07:54:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15262854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flynne/pseuds/Flynne
Summary: Five months before the start of ME3. Consequences of Garviel Shepard’s actions catch up to him in a way he didn’t see coming.





	Pep Talks

“It looks like rain,” Akil observed.

Garv glanced up at the low-hanging clouds as he jogged along. “We’ve barely gone a mile,” he protested. “It took us three weeks to convince everyone I’m not a ‘flight risk’. I have a two mile radius, and I’m not going back now.”

“I don’t mind rain, but I’m pretty sure I heard thunder.”

“You’ll be fine,” Garv told him. “I’m taller. If there’s lightning, it’ll hit me.”

“Your pep talk needs work,” Akil said dryly. He didn’t slow his pace, though, and continued running alongside his brother.

“I just wish they hadn’t made me wear the stupid ankle monitor,” Garv groused. “We told them you’d be coming along as a babysitter.”

Akil shrugged. “You’ve always needed a babysitter. I suppose they just got used to the idea and it didn’t seem like it’d be enough.”

A rumble of thunder, louder than before, drowned out Garv’s grumbling reply. He didn’t stop running, but his steps slowed a bit, and he gave a resigned sigh. “Guess we probably should turn around. I’m just sick of being inside all the time.”

“We’ll go running again another day,” Akil promised. “There will still be a few more nice days before winter comes.”

The occasional idle puffs of breeze turned to stronger gusts as they turned back toward the base, lending a chill to the air as the first scattered raindrops began to fall. Thankfully, the wind was at their back, and their return journey was quick. As the gates came into view, a brief flicker of movement caught Garv’s eye, and he saw a lanky youth in a cadet’s uniform perk up at the sight of him. Garv intended to keep going, but the cadet’s tentative call of, “Commander Shepard? Commander Shepard!” reached his ears over the sound of approaching thunder.

“You don’t have to answer,” Akil muttered, recognizing the look on Garv’s face.

Garv sighed, slowing to a walk. “It’s okay,” he said resignedly. He swiped the cuff of his sweatshirt across his forehead to wipe away sweat and rainwater.

The cadet approached at a brisk walk, undeterred by Garv’s shuttered expression. “Commander Shepard, I can’t believe I actually ran into you!”

“Just Shepard is fine,” Garv replied. “I’m not a commander right now.” He shifted his stance a bit - not obviously backing away, but moving slightly toward the base entrance. “Is there something you need?”

“Nothing in particular,” the cadet replied. “I just had to meet you.” The eager expression on his face reminded Garv of Conrad Verner. He hadn’t seen the self-styled Spectre since their run-in on Ilium, and he wondered fleetingly what had become of him.

“Well.” Garv shrugged and managed a thin smile. “Guess you have now.” The cadet grinned and extended his hand. Garv sighed to himself but began to return the gesture. “What’s your name?”

The bright grin grew sharp. “I am Aratoht.”

Shock lanced through Garv like an icy spear, and he froze. It was a fraction of a second, a mere half-heartbeat of hesitation, but it was enough for the cadet to act. His right hand clamped around Garv’s wrist, and his left arm gave a familiar wrenching twist as a fiery blade sprang out of his omni-tool.

Garv ripped his arm free and threw himself backwards, instinctively activating his own blade, but the cadet’s attempt to throw him off had worked and he had no time to shield himself. He saw the strike coming, felt the searing edge of the blade -

\- blinding blue-white light flared brighter than the spears of lightning flickering overhead. A biotic barrier slammed into place with enough force to send both Garv and his attacker tumbling apart. Garv let out a pained growl as he hit the ground. His effort to roll to his feet was hampered by the reflexive urge to curl around the white-hot slash carved in his side by the glancing blow of the omni-blade. He made it to one knee before he saw there was no need for him to rise any further.

Akil stood between him and his would-be killer, enveloped in a flickering blue corona. He held his barrier in place while reaching out with one arm, fingers half-curled as he kept the cadet’s twitching body suspended six feet off the ground. The set of his shoulders made his frame seem curled in a snarl of rage, but his expression remained eerily calm. He didn’t look away from his quarry but Garv could tell that half Akil’s attention was focused on him as he asked, “Are you hurt?”

“I’ve had worse,” Garv said tightly. Rain hissed angrily off his omni-blade before he deactivated it with a wrathful snap of his wrist. The first shouts of alarm came from the base sentries behind him as the crackling glow of biotics caught their attention. He climbed stiffly to his feet as the squad of soldiers closed in. The smell of his charred sweatshirt and his own burned flesh stung the back of his throat. Only when half a dozen assault rifles were trained on the assailant did Akil drop his barrier. He turned his back on the stunned cadet - an imposter posing as an Alliance marine, Garv knew now - the fading biotic lift not enough to prevent him from hitting the ground with an unsettling thud.

Akil ducked under Garv’s arm and braced himself against his side, steering him back between the high gates of the base. Garv didn’t really need the help but leaned on his brother anyway, keeping his gaze focused on the ground. Lightning slashed open the underbelly of the clouds, and the rain began in earnest.

\-----------------------——————-

“Do we know where he came from?”

“He’s not talking.”

Hackett rubbed his beard with one hand. “Are we certain he acted alone?”

“No. But if he did have an accomplice, either they didn’t show or they saw what happened to their partner and decided discretion was the better part of valor.” Akil didn’t raise his voice, but the tightly controlled anger hadn’t faded with the passage of time. “The man we know about was foolish enough, attacking Garv with me standing right there.”

“Anyone’s a fool who tries to take on an N7 marine, let alone two,” Hackett agreed. “Especially with the reputations you two have, and never mind that you’re both Spectres. Either he was confident enough in his skill that he thought he’d be able to take him out before you could act, or fanatical enough not to care. But like you said: he’s not talking.”

Garv kept his back to them, hearing their conversation from his seat on the couch but not truly listening. Rain lashed against the windows in heavy sheets, hiding the city behind a gray haze. He was dry now, and the furrow the omni-blade had plowed in his side had been bandaged and covered in modified medigel that numbed the wound.  _“Whoa. You were lucky,”_  the medic had told him while dressing the injury.  _“This almost went straight through. If your brother hadn’t pushed him back, that guy would have gutted you.”_

Hackett’s voice caught his attention once more. “…but this does raise some questions about security. I’m not sure it’s wise for him to leave the base again. And the building is fortified, but there are a lot of windows. Maybe we should consider moving him to an underground bunker.”

Garv took a breath, about to object, but Akil interrupted before he could. “Pardon me, sir, but that won’t be necessary. Vega and I can provide adequate protection. Now that I know there’s an active threat, I will be able to account for it. And so will the commander.” The corners of Garv’s mouth twitched upward. Hackett let out a quiet “Hm” but didn’t otherwise comment on Akil’s use of Garv’s rank that had officially been stripped away. “The facility is also secure, sir,” Akil went on. “The attack occurred when we were outside the walls. I should be able to go outside with Garviel as long as we stay toward the center of the base.”

Hackett sighed. “I’ll think about it.”

“He’s not a prisoner, sir,” Akil said, smooth edges of his voice sharpening a bit. “He came to Earth of his own volition and he has not been arrested or charged with a crime.”

“Not officially.” Garv heard the shift of stiff dress uniform fabric as Hackett squared his shoulders, speaking more sternly in turn. “Don’t forget that I’m one of the few people who believe what your brother has said about the Reapers. And one of the few people who want him to do his job and stop them from coming. And he can’t do that if some sniper with an axe to grind puts a bullet through his head.”

There was a moment of tense silence before Akil said quietly, “I have not forgotten, sir.”

“I’ll see what we can do about letting him get some air from time to time,” Hackett said, tone softening. “In the meantime…well, I’m just glad you were there.”

“So am I.” Akil paused a moment before asking casually, “If in the unlikely event someone else does try something against Garviel, do I have permission to make an example of them, sir?”

A faint, fleeting smile crossed Garv’s face. Hackett didn’t laugh - possibly because of decades of self control, but more likely because he knew Akil wasn’t joking. “I am sure you will do your duty,” he replied. “Shepard?”

There were two Shepards in the room, but Garv knew Hackett was talking to him this time. He didn’t look around, but he did break his silence. “Yes, sir?”

If Hackett was surprised by Garv’s uncharacteristic lack of military discipline by failing to come to attention when spoken to, he gave no sign. “I’m glad you’re all right.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The door chimed softly, hissing open and closed again as Hackett departed. The room was silent except for the muted sound of the storm. With the admiral gone, Garv slumped forward to rest his elbows on his knees, shutting out the sight of the rain-drenched city by burying his face in his hands. The sofa cushion dipped slightly as Akil sat next to him.

Garv let his hands fall into his lap and immediately shifted toward him. He had to slouch a bit to prop his head on his shorter brother’s shoulder. It caused the wound in his side to tug painfully for a moment despite the numbing gel, but he ignored it. Akil lifted his arm, resting it on the back of the couch to give Garv room and let him lean. “How do you feel?” he asked quietly.

Garv shrugged. “Well, I’ve got scars again now, I guess,” he said. He tried to speak lightly and push through his dispirited haze, but his voice just came out sounding weary. The charred furrow angling up his side and around his rib cage was a far cry from the disfiguring burns the thresher maw’s acid had left, but even with his cybernetics and accelerated healing, the mark would never fade.

“At least you managed not to lose a kidney this time,” Akil deadpanned.

A snort escaped before Garv realized he’d laughed. “Guess I’ll have to try harder next time.”

“Please don’t.”

Garv grinned at the dry retort, but his humor quickly faded. “I’m not…surprised, really, that someone tried to kill me for destroying Aratoht,” he said haltingly. “But I didn’t think it’d be like this. I mean…I’m on  _Earth_. And…”

“And he wasn’t a batarian?”

Garv made a sound of disgust. “What does it say about me, that I’d think that way?” he asked bitterly.

Lightning flared outside once again. Akil waited for the rolling echoes of thunder to fade before he said very quietly, “It says that you’re used to the fact that Earth has been considered a safe haven for alliance soldiers. And it says that there’s been no love lost between humans and batarians over the years. And that even the best-intentioned people can have prejudices they’re not aware of.” He rested his hand on the back of Garv’s head. “But it also says that the best people can recognize where they’ve been wrong, and can change their thinking.”

“Still trying to make me into the good guy, huh?” Garv asked with a wan smile.

“It’s a full time job.” Akil lightly rubbed his knuckles on top of Garv’s head, ruffling his hair. “But if it makes you feel any better, there have been plenty of other humans who have wanted to kill you, too, for much pettier reasons.”

Garv surprised himself by chuckling. “Your pep talk needs work.”

“The pep talks have always been more your field of expertise, not mine. I just zot things.”

“Don’t I know it,” Garv grumbled. “And didn’t you  _just_ tell me earlier that my pep talks needed work?”

Akil gave a little shrug without disturbing Garv’s lean against his shoulder. “I stand by what I said.”

“But if they’re my  _‘field of expertise’…_ ”

“One should always aspire to hone one’s craft.”

Garv snorted. “How many dictionaries did you eat today?” In spite of the growl in his voice, the cold, heavy feeling in the center of his chest was dissipating as he let himself get pulled in to the absurd spiral of verbal sparring with his brother. It was the sort of match he almost always lost, but it was comforting in its familiarity.

“I do not  _eat_ dictionaries, Garviel, and if you  _do_ , then I worry about your understanding of the proper use of books in general,” Akil said primly.

“I was speaking figuratively,” Garv replied with exaggerated patience. “You’re losing your touch, Aki. I thought you’d be able to tell.”

“I never jest about books. Books are knowledge, and knowledge is power.”

Garv snickered. “Whenever I think you can’t possibly be more of a nerd, you one-up yourself and prove me wrong.”

Akil gave a smug little smile. “Of course I do. You know I’m always right.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say,” Garv said, rolling his eyes.

Akil patted the top of his head. “That’s more like it.”

Garv just blew a raspberry in response, then let out a long sigh as he gazed out the window again. Rain still poured down, and showed no sign of letting up anytime soon. Lightning forked across the sky again, but the following rumble of thunder was soft and low. Garv knew some people might think the sound of thunder to be ominous, but to him, it was the sound of home, no matter how eager he had been to leave Earth when he’d been a kid. “I’ve missed rain,” he said quietly. “It’s nice to see it again. Even though I’m stuck here.”

“You won’t be stuck here forever,” Akil promised. “You did the best you could under the circumstances and nobody could reasonably expect anything more. And if the brass won’t listen to you, then I will continue to make myself a pain in the ass until they come to their senses.”

“Well, then they don’t stand a chance,” Garv said with a grin. “You’re a pro at being a pain in the ass.”

“If something is worth doing, it is worth doing well,” Akil intoned.

“Yeah, well. Guess I’m lucky you’re also good at watching my back.”

Akil gave a put-upon little sigh. “That’s also a full time job. I think they should create the N8 rank for me.” Garv huffed a little in response but before he could answer, Akil’s omni-tool pinged softly. “Hold that thought, please, Garvi,” he said lightly, lifting his free hand to glance at the display. His teasing smirk softened into a smile. “Email from Mum. She said the  _Orizaba_ should be in range of a comm buoy in a couple days and she’ll try to call.”

Garv smiled too, leaning in a bit to see for himself. “Great. Tell her I said hi.”

“Will do. She’s still furious that they won’t let her contact you directly.”

Garv snorted in exasperation.  _“All outside communication restricted,”_ he said, parroting the obnoxious review committee member he’d argued with. His snide attitude faded quickly though as he said, “Don’t…don’t tell Mom what happened today.”

Akil raised an eyebrow. “She’s going to find out eventually.”

“I know, we’ll tell her when we talk to her, I just…” He glanced down at his hands, lacing and interlacing his fingers. “…I don’t want her to think it was worse than it was.”

“Someone tried to kill one of her sons. I don’t think there’s any way to make that sound any better. But I’ll let you tell her.”

“Thanks.” Garv glanced down toward his own inactivated omni-tool. He was glad nobody had insisted on deactivating the blade - even moreso, after what had happened earlier - but it still rankled that he had no way to reach any of his former crew. Garrus and Tali had promised to do what they could to tell their people about the looming threat, but Garv had been in the dark since they’d parted ways on the citadel. He’d wondered if Liara might be able to contact him, now that she had access to the Shadow Broker’s scary lightning fortress - now that she  _was_ the scary Shadow Broker, he amended with a mental smirk - but he hadn’t heard from her, either. He didn’t know how long they had before the Reapers arrived, but when he was alone with his thoughts, he could feel his beating heart ticking away the seconds before the invasion.

As if he could read his thoughts, Akil sighed and said again, very quietly, “You won’t be here forever.”

“I know. But by the time anyone listens to me, it’ll probably be too late.”

“To be honest, Garviel,” Akil said slowly, “I think it was too late the moment Sovereign found Saren.”

Garv wrinkled his nose. “Okay, no more pep talks from you anymore.”

“Manners, Garvi,” Akil chided teasingly. “Don’t interrupt, I wasn’t finished. Ever since Eden Prime, you’ve accomplished things that most people would think to be impossible. But you’ve done them. And I’d bet my sniper rifle that you’re not finished yet. There. Was that better?”

Garv gulped a little against the knot in his throat. “I dunno. Depends which sniper rifle.”

“The Spectre HMW, obviously.”

“Oh. Well.” He managed a smirk. “In that case, you did pretty good. That was almost as good as one of mine.”

“Very magnanimous of you to say so,” Akil chuckled.

“Yeah, I thought so.” The levity faded from his voice as he added quietly, “Thanks.”

Akil ruffled his hair again. “Anytime.”

**Author's Note:**

> Akil Shepard was made a Spectre after Garv died over Alchera. After Garv destroyed the Collector base and turned himself in, Akil used his Spectre authority to appoint himself as one of Garv's guards on Earth.


End file.
